Now that the trade deadline has passed...

[ian2813]

What are your predictions for the last two months? There might be some minor transactions in August, most of the heavy dealing has been done. How do you think the playoff picture will look? Which teams look poised to make some noise in October?

[ian2813]

Pessimist that I am, my predictions for the playoff picture are as follows:

AL West: Angels
AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL WC #1: Athletics
AL WC #2: Red Sox

NL West: Dodgers
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Braves
NL WC #1: Giants
NL WC #2: Reds

I hope I'm wrong about most of these, but I've had my heart broken by this sport too many times to be anything more than cautiously optimistic. I still carry emotional scars from last year.

[PeteU]

Pessimist that I am, my predictions for the playoff picture are as follows:

AL West: Angels
AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL WC #1: Athletics
AL WC #2: Red Sox

NL West: Dodgers
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Braves
NL WC #1: Giants
NL WC #2: Reds

I hope I'm wrong about most of these, but I've had my heart broken by this sport too many times to be anything more than cautiously optimistic. I still carry emotional scars from last year.

Predicting a collapse by the Nationals?

[ian2813]

Predicting a collapse by the Nationals?

I like the Nationals a lot (they're something of a local team for Virginia, where I once lived, and before that I always had a soft spot for the Montreal Expos), so I figure it's best to prepare myself to be disappointed.

[riverfrontier]

And the Rangers....

I'm hoping for Detroit and Cincinnati in the World Series. Just which teams they have to climb over to get there is a secondary issue to me, but I'll give it a go

Rangers
Angels
Tigers
Yankees
Rays or Orioles (I like the A's, but I don't think they'll last)

Reds
Giants
Braves
Nationals
Dodgers

Tigers over Reds in 7 games....Remember you heard it here first....

[ian2813]

I'm hoping for Detroit and Cincinnati in the World Series.

It'd be 1940 all over again! That was an underrated Series.

I personally want Rangers and Nationals, but rarely does baseball give me exactly what I want. That's the price of rooting for underdogs all the time.

[riverfrontier]

The Reds went from 1940 to 1975 without a Series win....that's quite a stretch when there were only 16 teams in the league in more than half that span. The Tigers are coming up on 30 years now...


I wouldn't consider the Rangers an 'underdog' team. The Nationals...I don't know. When are they going to shut Strasburg down? Jordan Zimmermann is bound to cool off, and Gio Gonzalez is slumping. Are they gonna bring back Chien-ming Wang and his unsinkable sinker? Their lineup does not impress me. But I say the same thing about the Pirates. McCutchen has to come back to earth. It's a toss-up. And, no, I don't see the Cardinals pulling a rabbit out of their hat two years in a row. I'd say Pirates or Nats as one of the wild cards.

But this is baseball...nothing ever happens as it should. Maybe some team like the Diamondbacks will up and win 25 out of 35 or something silly...youneverknow...

[RaysFan_98]

Pessimist that I am, my predictions for the playoff picture are as follows:

AL West: Angels
AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL WC #1: Athletics
AL WC #2: Red Sox

NL West: Dodgers
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Braves
NL WC #1: Giants
NL WC #2: Reds

I hope I'm wrong about most of these, but I've had my heart broken by this sport too many times to be anything more than cautiously optimistic. I still carry emotional scars from last year.

Wait.... You think the Sox will overtake the Rays and O's? The sox have trouble getting above .500 before falling right back below it. And then you think the A's will hold on and the Halos and A's will somehow knock off the Rangers? lol

[ian2813]

Wait.... You think the Sox will overtake the Rays and O's? The sox have trouble getting above .500 before falling right back below it. And then you think the A's will hold on and the Halos and A's will somehow knock off the Rangers? lol

It's called "trying to jinx all the teams I hate." The Red Sox aren't out of it yet.

I wouldn't consider the Rangers an 'underdog' team.

Historically they're an underdog, as they're still looking for that elusive first World Series title. After the cruel fate that befell them last year I'm pulling hard for them to get their redemption this year. The memory of 2011 needs to be erased.

The Nationals...I don't know. When are they going to shut Strasburg down? Jordan Zimmermann is bound to cool off, and Gio Gonzalez is slumping. Are they gonna bring back Chien-ming Wang and his unsinkable sinker? Their lineup does not impress me. But I say the same thing about the Pirates. McCutchen has to come back to earth. It's a toss-up. And, no, I don't see the Cardinals pulling a rabbit out of their hat two years in a row. I'd say Pirates or Nats as one of the wild cards.

I'd love to see the Pirates in the playoffs, as they've never had a winning record since I've been following baseball. I never put anything past the Cardinals, especially after the horrible ending to last season. I think that's the only baseball moment that's ever given me nightmares.